The first Church at York (later renamed to St. James) was built in 1807 by soldiers of the British garrison. The church and its rector, the Reverend Dr. John Strachan, became central to events of the War of 1812.

Queen’s Park, located in central Toronto, was opened in 1860 and dedicated by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) to his mother, Queen Victoria. Brimming with history, this ROM walk uncovers the controversy that surrounded awarding a contract to the building the legislature to an American architect.

St. James’ Cemetery, opened at the corner of Parliament and Bloor Streets in 1844, is the eternal resting place of many of the prominent families of York and Toronto. Monuments and mausoleums are engraved with the names Jarvis, Ridout, Gooderham, Cawthra, Baldwin and Osler among others. Stories of success and scandal abound.

On our ROMwalk tour of the western section of South Rosedale, we’ll descend into the Rosedale Ravine via Park Road, originally a corduroy road constructed by Sheriff William Botsford Jarvis to make the trip to Rosedale more convenient and facilitate sales of his Rose Park subdivision lots.

Getting to and from work and home can be hectic. Most of us use TTC or drive, and in doing so we miss much of what cyclists or pedestrians see clearly every day. Did you know, for example, that a herd of “bunny dogs” romp on the boulevard at Wellington and John? Or that Glenn Gould is amongst us, and invites us to join him on a bench to watch the world go by? Where is Toronto’s newest wonder, created in China from 22 tons of stainless steel, and what message does it convey??